Rough stretch dooms Patriots

After playing three strong quarters and most of the fourth, a stretch of three negative possessions helped do the East Newton boys in as they fell in overtime to Marionville, 63-54 on Friday.

Staff Reports

After playing three strong quarters and most of the fourth, a stretch of three negative possessions helped do the East Newton boys in as they fell in overtime to Marionville, 63-54 on Friday.

The Patriots appeared well on their way to their third victory of the season as their solid play in the first three quarters gave them a 37-31 advantage entering the fourth quarter. But, while maintaining a narrow lead late in the fourth, three negative possessions allowed Marionville to come back and take a 49-47 lead with just under a minute to play. East Newton’s Bryce Zimmerman would bury a jumper, however, to tie the game, and the Patriots would hold the final 35 seconds on defense to send it to overtime.

There, the Comets would take control at the free throw line. When the Patriots, who trailed by four points at various times in the overtime period, were forced to foul, the Comets stepped to the line and knocked down their foul shots to put it away.

“We played well through three quarters,” Patriots coach Kyle Fields said. “We just didn’t do enough.”